WRITING AND PUBLISHING JOURNAL ARTICLES

• WHY WRITE A JOURNAL ARTICLE?

• Deciding on your target journal/audience

• Things to bear in mind when producing your article

• YES, BUT…

• Advice from Peter Woods

• EDUCATION JOURNALS

WHY WRITE A JOURNAL ARTICLE?

• You could spend your time writing to support your teaching.

• You could write for conferences.

• You could write a book.

• You have got something useful to say and it will force you to clarify your ideas.

• You want others to decide if you have got something useful to say.

• You like to see your name in print.

• You want to enter a debate about some vital issue(s).

• You want to initiate a debate about an issue.

• You have been asked by the editor to contribute an article.

• You see it as part of your job.

• You want to use it to enhance your career prospects.

• You want to practise different styles of writing.

• You want it to contribute towards the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

• You want to use it to facilitate collaboration with colleagues.

• You see it as an escape from the tedium of more mundane tasks!

RULE OF THUMB: It is preferable to write an article with a particular journal or journals in mind.

REMEMBER: Most editors need articles like yours!

• those you read and enjoy
• those that give you the sorts of information that you need
• those written by people like you

• compare and contrast the different styles
• look in other university libraries

• his or her specialist field
• recent publications

• what has occupied the pages of the journal over the past two years
• whether the editor is focusing on specific topics in the near future
• if there are obvious ‘gaps’ in the literature that you can exploit

• how many, where they are from, whose work is frequently quoted
• whether they refer to articles published by that particular journal

• whether the majority of articles are principally discursive or based on data analysis
• how much flexibility exists in the range of acceptable styles
• whether articles tend to be ‘chatty’ or riddled with impenetrable language or somewhere in-between

Take account of the journal’s methodological slant

• The balance of qualitative and quantitative approaches.

• The balance between theoretical discussion and reports of empirical research and, within the latter, the emphasis on inductive (observation to hypothesis to theory) or deductive (theory to hypothesis to test) approaches.

• The amount of detail required about methodology and research procedures.

• The incidence of particular methods attached to social theories implicit in (for instance): ethnography, phenomenology, feminist research and discourse analysis (ethnomethodology), etc. as well as in the use of statistical data.

• The pragmatic value (usefulness to practitioners) evident in the majority of articles in the journal.

MAKE A POSITIVE IMPRESSION

• The first reader may well be the journal editor who could decide whether it is worth spending time on processing the article.

• The second reader will normally be a member of the editorial board (for journals aiming at practitioners) or one or more expert commentators (for journals aiming at a specialist audience).

• Ensure that you have followed the journal submission requirements exactly (see below under point 4).

REMEMBER YOUR READERSHIP

• Who is likely to read the article? (This will influence its tone.)

• How much time will they have to read it? (This will influence the way you present the article.)

• What can I assume that this person who is reading my article will already know? (This will influence its content.)

• What key information do I want to impart to the reader? (This will help clarify priorities.)

• What detail must I include and what can I leave out without losing the essence of the piece? (This will help to focus on essentials.)

• What key points do I want this reader to take away with him or her after reading my article? (This will influence what is included in your abstract and conclusion.)

DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE

• Learn from, but don’t try to replicate someone else’s style.

• Remind yourself of all the advice you give to students about their essay writing!

• Make sure the abstract stimulates the reader’s interest.

• Avoid unnecessary referencing.

• Refer to other articles published in that journal wherever possible.

• Make the beginning and end sections of the article the most powerful.

TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN SUBMITTING

• Make the processing of your document as straightforward as possible for the journal administrators.

• Take very careful note of the number of copies required, etc.

• Look at current articles to double-check the layout. (For example, the use of subheadings, whether paragraphs are indented, the frequency of underlining, italics, etc.)

• Avoid unnecessary ‘clutter’, such as using capital letters and hyphens unnecessarily, varying font size and type, changing alignments.

• Spend a lot of time checking references.

GENERAL POINTS

• Turnover times from submission to publication vary considerably (from a couple of months to a couple of years!).

• You may or may not receive an acknowledgement of the receipt of your article.

• Editors are busy people and not everything runs smoothly, so stay cool.

• The majority of articles require some amendments.

• Submitting to a journal with a practitioner audience is neither superior nor inferior to one with an academic audience, merely different in kind.

• For articles written by members of staff of to contribute towards the RAE they need to be in journals with (at least) a good national reputation.

• A strong journal article from a member of staff can contribute towards the RAE. (Much depends on the quality of the research reported.)

• Most editors are keen to receive articles, so it is mutually beneficial for your article to be accepted.

• Don’t overlook the possibility of publishing in overseas journals (in which case consider the audience even more carefully).

• If you have written for an ‘academic’ audience, consider producing a simplified version for a ‘practitioner’ journal as well (two for the price of one, almost!)

• you can save time by using data that lies close to hand

• members of University of Plymouth staff can explore possibilities through internal bids and talking to the Research Co-ordinator and/or one of the Readers/Professors; students can talk to their tutors/supervisors

• use your odd moments to get your thinking straight (and jot down ideas)

• begin to see publications as a higher priority than hitherto

OTHER THINGS HAVE TO BE DONE, WRITING DOES NOT

• consider whether the writing you complete for modules could be utilised for articles

• bear in mind that there will always be other priorities until you make writing one of them!

• consider collaborating with colleagues to reduce the burden on yourself (see Woods, 1999, Chapter 6)

I DON’T HAVE ANY RESEARCH FINDINGS TO USE

• articles do not have to be based on data analysis

• look at forms of data that are easily accessible, such as students’ comments, classroom observations, samples of children’s work

• write a critique of someone else’s ideas/work

I WILL BE TOO BUSY DOING MY MA/MPhil/PhD

• consider whether writing articles could form part of the process

• evaluate the benefits from peer-evaluated writing as a means of enhancing the quality of your thesis and clarity of thinking

• if you are a member of staff of the University of Plymouth you might be able to apply for a sabbatical or part-sabbatical or release from your other duties!

I’M SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH AT WRITING

• remember that none of us are good enough, we all have to persevere

• get some advice (from the visiting professors, for instance)

• read Woods (1999) Chapter 1: ‘Getting Started and Keeping Going’

• scrutinise the writing of other authors

• join a self-help group

Advice from Peter Woods (1999) Successful Writing for Qualitative Researchers, Routledge:

Criteria for quality in expressive writing

• Writers need to be aware of their use of rhetoric, and readers also. It should be clear that it is a tool being used to extend and clarify, not in hidden ways to ‘subtly’ persuade.

• Basically, expressive writing is an artistic pursuit, so aesthetic criteria apply. Have you captured a likeness, some quality in the social scene or actors under consideration, that comes from an ‘enlightened eye’ (Eisner 1991)?

• Are you able to communicate this to others, to provoke interest, awaken their interpretative powers, increase understanding, arouse feelings, enable readers to see something that they would otherwise have missed?

• There is no single, correct way to capture a reality, any more than there is to paint a picture or take a photograph.

• The writer conveys what it is like to be present in the social world and does not just display it (Denzin 1997).

• How well is the expressive writing linked in with analysis?

• How well are the author and others represented in the text?

• To what extent is it providing new ways of seeing, new insights, experiences or understandings?

• How rigorous is the account?

EDUCATION JOURNALS

Examples of the requirements for articles submitted to the sample of journals referred to below.

(NOTE. Only a selected sample of details has been included for most of the journal examples cited. Always double-check details in a current edition of the journal.)

British Educational Research Journal

• Current lead editor our Visiting Reader, Pat Sikes

For details see: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/01411926.asp

British Journal of Educational Studies

• Non-empirical articles, well argued but not convoluted!
• Discussions on principles and topics of major importance in education policy
• Fewer than 7000 words
• Three complete copies
• Abstract of about 60 words
• Include 3 to 5 key words
• NOTE: This journal has a rapid ‘turn-around’ time.

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0007-1005

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/0305764X.asp

For details see: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/09585176.asp

http://www.trentham-books.co.uk/pages/educ313.htm

Educational Research

• Original educational research, reviews of current research and discussion articles on research topics are all welcome
• Between 4000 and 5000 words
• Must be concisely written, clear and free from jargon
• 2 copies of the article (though see below)
• Abstract of up to 150 words
• Include three or four ‘key words’
• Short ‘in progress’ reports also welcome
• Conciseness and clarity are especially important

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/00131881.asp

http://imp.sagepub.com/

• Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/09518398.asp
• This is a prestigious journal with an international emphasis. It is essential that you consult the Web Site first.

http://ecr.sagepub.com/

• An international refereed journal that publishes papers and reports on all aspects of mentoring, tutoring and partnership.
• Four copies
• Double-spaced, wide margins
• Name of author, title of article and contact address
• Abstract of 100-150 words
• When requested by the editor, a disk copy version (exactly matching the hard copy) preferably Microsoft Word, PC format

Oxford Review of Education

• Addresses an international audience
• Between 4000 and 8000 words
• 3 copies of the article
• An abstract of 100-200 words
• Include a short note of biographical details

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/03054985.asp

Primary Practice

• Membership journal of the National Primary Trust
• The emphasis is on primary classroom practice and/or research carried out by teachers and others involved in primary education. The requirements are as follows:
  • The article should address issues of interest to a wide range of practitioners and educationists.
  • There is an emphasis on practical classroom application and its implications
  • From 1500 to 3500 words.
  • Photographs and illustrative material are welcome.
    
    NOTE: Primary Practice is a useful sort of journal to ‘cut your teeth on’.

http://www.npt.org.uk/

Research in Education

• An inter-disciplinary research journal
• Up to 3500 words, plainly written
• 3 copies of the article
• Abstract of up to 150 words
• Include a separate sheet with author details
• Concise reports of on-going research are welcome
• Diskette to be sent after acceptance of article

Teacher Development

• An international journal publishing articles on all aspects of teachers’ professional development
• Articles can vary from reports of on-going work (1000 words) to major analyses and position papers (up to 6000 words)
• Abstract of 100-150 words

http://www.triangle.co.uk/tde/